Hans van der Maarel

Posted 07 November 2011 - 02:17 PM

A friend of mine is looking for a software solution that's essentially offering the same functionality as a stack of sheets for an overhead projector.

It's for a classroom environment (highschool, but maybe younger, I'm not sure) where kids form groups and then each map out certain features (watercourses, meadows etc), which are later overlayed into a single map. It has to be easy to use, easy to administer and preferably free or low-cost. Google Earth comes to mind, maybe Google My Maps. Any other options? Am I still making sense?

Posted 07 November 2011 - 02:27 PM

A friend of mine is looking for a software solution that's essentially offering the same functionality as a stack of sheets for an overhead projector.

It's for a classroom environment (highschool, but maybe younger, I'm not sure) where kids form groups and then each map out certain features (watercourses, meadows etc), which are later overlaid into a single map. It has to be easy to use, easy to administer and preferably free or low-cost. Google Earth comes to mind, maybe Google My Maps. Any other options? Am I still making sense?

I'd second Google My Maps or Google Earth. If this is a digitizing experiment, your friend could set up a web hosted overlay image the students would digitize from, or just have them digitize directly from Google Maps. Each group can save their map as a unique KMLs which can then be combined as overlays in Google Earth.

I'd say use Google Maps for the digitizing though, I think it's a bit easier than GE. While GE will handle the KML overlays a little easier than Google Maps.